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Veterans in Higher Education Conference June 9-11 at UW

June 6, 2014 — Needs and challenges faced by military and veteran students will
be examined at a conference for higher education professionals June 9-11 at the
University of Wyoming.

Representatives from UW, Wyoming’s community colleges and
technical schools will participate in the first “‘Wyoming Veterans in Higher
Education Conference” at the UW Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn. The
UW Veterans Services Center and Northwest College (NWC) Veterans Program host
the program.

Discussion will focus on the increasing number of veterans
on the state’s higher education campuses and how Wyoming institutions can
better serve and meet the unique challenges faced by these students.

“I believe this is the first conference of its kind in
Wyoming, but I hope it will be the first of many,” Martinez says. “This
conference provides the opportunity for Wyoming’s higher education community to
share information about effective programs, policies, services and best
practices that each of our institutions are using to help our student veterans
find greater success in their education pursuits.”

Martinez adds that he and Burtis contacted each community
college, and all school representatives agreed this type of conference is
needed. They received financial support from the Wyoming Veterans Commission.

While most of the speakers and presenters are UW staff
members, Martinez emphasizes the conference is not intended to highlight the UW
and NWC veteran programs, but to offer ideas for the other institutions to
evaluate, modify and possibly use at their schools.

“When I attend this type of training at other national level
conferences, I learn about new ideas and programs in use at other colleges or
universities,” he says. “In bringing those ideas back to UW, my job is to
assess the program to determine its feasibility at UW, or to identify how it
can be modified or scaled to match our resources, needs and goals.”

Martinez says he hopes to achieve a sharing of ideas and
best practices that can be evaluated, modified and implemented at each institution
to improve services and programming for military student veterans.

A reception and registration is from 5-7 p.m. Monday, June
9. Another registration is scheduled at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, with the
conference slated from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. A reception is from 5:30-7 p.m. in the
Roach Room in the UW Fieldhouse North. The conference concludes Wednesday, June
11, from 8 a.m.-noon.

For more information about the Wyoming Veterans in Higher
Education Conference, contact Martinez at (307) 766-6909 or email mmarti77@uwyo.edu.